Cliff notes for Julie

Julie just commented tonight that she's never seen Hamlet and what is it about anyway???
Here's a very condensed version. Carly watched the 2hr Mel Gibson version the other night when Mark posted. She is going to get the 4 hr Kenneth Brahhagh version from her Auntie Maury soon so if you want to come watch that with us we'll let you know when we're having our hamlet "death and destruction" party! Here's a quick rundown of the storyline.....

Hamlet loves his mom and dad. They are the King and Queen. He is the prince. He is in love with the beautiful Ophelia. They are likely to announce their engagement soon. Life is good. So good.

There is a wicked uncle who wants to be king. (Think Scar in "Lion King")

Wicked Uncle poisons King Hamlet. He seduces the Queen. She marries him 2 months after King Hamlet dies. Prnce Hamlet is horrified at his shameless hussy nongrieving mother and suspects Uncle Scar of killing his father.

Prince Hamlet see's the ghost of his father who confirms Uncle Scar poisoned him whilst he was reposing in his garden by pouring some vile liquid in his ear. (ick) and then proceeds to give a ghostly command to Prince Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Uncle Scar but to leave his mother alone.

Hamlet becomes obsessed with revenge, pretends to go "crazy' so Uncle Scar will think he is nuts and won't become suspicious of him knowing the truth and trying to do something about it.

Hamlet treats the beautiful Ophelia terribly and she doesn't know what to think, I mean just last week he was proclaiming his undying love for her in passionate verse now he ignores her or is outright mean.

Hamlet accidently, on purpose, kills ophelia's father whilst he is spying for King/Uncle Scar because he thinks he IS King/Uncle Scar. Ophelia really goes nuts with her father dead by the hand of her almost betrothed. She drowns while wandering around town giving out weeds/sticks/bones she thinks are flowers. Hamlet really does feel bad and mourns her, getting into a scuffle a the burial with Laertes, Ophelia's brother about who really loved her more.

Ophelia's brother is angry, of course, with Prince Hamlet for causing the death's of both his sister and father. King/Uncle Scar uses the brother's anger to lure him into requesting a fencing competition with Prince Hamlet but really he will use a real sword instead of a foil dipped in poison.

At the fencing competition, King/Uncle Scar tries to poison Prince Hamlet. He wants to make sure he dies and doesn't trust Ophelia's brother to do the job. Hamlet doesn't drink the poison but the Queen accidentally does. She dies slowly during the match. During the match Ophelia's brother gets stabbed with the poison sword, Hamlet gets stabbed w/the poison sword, King/uncle Scar is either forced to drink the same poison that killed the queen or is stabbed with the poison sword and they all die amidst great speeches of regret and misery at the end.

I may have some of the details wrong as I was watching parts as I did a multitude of other things and it's been many years since I saw it the first time and read it in high school.

Does that make you want to run out and see it Julie????